Integrated circuits, the key components in thousands of electronic and computer products, are interconnected networks of electrical components fabricated on a common foundation, or substrate. Fabricators typically use various techniques, such as layering, doping, masking, and etching, to build thousands and even millions of microscopic resistors, transistors, and other electrical components on a silicon substrate, known as a wafer. The components are then wired, or interconnected, together to define a specific electric circuit, such as a computer memory.
Because of the difficulties of making and interconnecting millions of microscopic components, fabricators expect that one or more parts of an integrated circuit will fail to operate correctly. However, rather than discard the entire integrated circuit because of a few defective parts, fabricators sometimes include extra, or redundant, parts in integrated circuits to selectively replace defective parts. For example, memory fabricators sometimes include redundant memory cells to replace defective memory cells in an integrated memory circuit. Fabricators can then test the memory circuit for defective cells and activate one or more of the redundant cells to save the integrated circuit.
Activating a redundant part often entails opening or closing, that is, programming, one or more programmable electrical connections between the redundant part and the rest of the integrated circuit. In general, there are two types of programmable electrical connections: fuses and antifuses. A fuse is a normally closed electrical connection which can be opened typically using a laser to melt and vaporize a portion of the fuse. An antifuse, on the other hand, is normally open and requires some action to close the connection, that is, to electrically connect one end of the antifuse to the other.
Antifuses typically include a thin, insulative layer sandwiched between two conductors. Closing, or programming, an antifuse generally requires applying a large voltage across the two conductors. The large voltage creates an electric field which exceeds the breakdown strength of the insulative layer, thereby rupturing the insulative layer and electrically connecting the two conductors.
Unfortunately, antifuses based on the breakdown or rupturing of an insulative layer perform poorly. Specifically, the resulting electrical connections often have high electrical resistances which ultimately waste power and slow down the transfer of electrical signals through integrated circuits. Moreover, these high resistances tend to vary significantly over time and thus make it difficult for integrated circuits to perform consistently as they age. Additionally, the rupturing process inevitably varies significantly from antifuse to antifuse within the same integrated circuit, introducing undesirable differences in the electrical traits of various parts of the circuit and thus compromising circuit performance. These and other performance concerns have ultimately led some fabricators to avoid using antifuses.
Accordingly, there is a need for better antifuses and antifuse programming techniques.